OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A 14-year-old was arrested in connection to a shooting in an Oceanside parking lot Saturday evening that left one person dead, authorities confirmed.
The incident was reported around 4:36 p.m. after an altercation between three juvenile suspects and 29-year-old man in a parking lot on N Redondo Drive near Vandegrift Boulevard, according to Jennifer Atenza with the Oceanside Police Department.
Multiple shots were reportedly fired by one of the juveniles as the altercation escalated. According to OPD, the suspect chased the victim and fired again, striking the victim in the upper torso area. All three suspects then fled north from the parking lot.
The victim, a resident of Oceanside, sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead on scene. His identity has not been released.
The motive and circumstances that led up to the shooting are still under investigation.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office ASTREA helicopter assisted officers in searching for the suspects throughout the evening. Police say multiple witnesses provided suspect descriptions with the juveniles believed to be around 15-years-old.
The first suspect was last seen with a long ponytail and was wearing a black long sleeve shirt, gray pants and white shoes. He was armed with a semi-automatic pistol, OPD said.
The second suspect was also described with a long dark brown ponytail. He was last seen wearing a white long-sleeve shirt under a black shirt with long dark pants.
The third suspect was last seen wearing a black baseball cap with white writing on the front, as well as a black hooded shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was also carrying a red backpack, authorities said.
Police eventually located the suspected shooter at a residence nearby. Oceanside SWAT, Crisis
Negotiation Team (CNT), and the Unmanned Arial Support (UAS) Team responded to the scene to apprehend the suspect.
A 14-year-old resident of Oceanside who matched the description of the shooter was detained and booked into East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility for on suspicion of murder, police said.
According to Atenza, the shooting had no connection to another incident in Carlsbad on Saturday where a 16-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries after being shot by a police officer.
“It’s concerning when hearing of young juvenile running around with firearms,” she added.
Members of the public are asked to call OPD investigators at 760-435-4900 if they have any information about the incident or where the suspects may be.
FOX 5’s Amber Coakley contributed to this report.
